VERO BEACH — The Vero Beach Museum of Art will present the exhibition FORM, COLOR, LIGHT: Cast Glass by Rick Beck beginning Saturday, June 23, and continuing through Oct. 14 in the Museum’s Laura and Bill Buck Atrium.
Rick Beck’s sculptures in glass are full of surprises, even though they seem familiar. His works of art often take the form of common objects such as tools and kitchen implements, and sometimes human figures from history.
At the same time their large size and pure, deep color are unexpected and delightful. Beck “wants to engage the viewer with the simplicity of his subject matter, hoping to inspire further observation and interpretation,” according to art critic Anna Starling,
Beck’s exhibition at The Vero Beach Museum of Art includes a range of work produced over the last decade, from large floor pieces to small pedestal sculptures in translucent colors.
Some art historians see parallels between Beck’s witty works of art and the works of art by Marcel Duchamp—who took everyday objects such as shovels and coat racks out of context and re-defined them as art—and the Pop Artists of the 1960s who based their images on advertising art and popular media. The pure beauty and sensuality of Beck’s medium, richly colored glass, separates him from these movements, and makes the question of categorizing his art unimportant. Beck is both a fine artist and a fine craftsman.
Beck crafts his glass sculptures using clay forms to create a silicone mold in which he melts recycled glass, fired to 1,650 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the molten glass takes the shape of the mold, it can take weeks to cool to room temperature.
The exhibition was organized and curated by the Vero Beach Museum of Art and its Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, Jay Williams.
The Vero Beach Museum of Art is located at 3001 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach. There is no admission charge to visit this exhibition. The Museum is closed on Mondays through Labor Day. Summer Hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; and Sundays, 1 – 4:30 p.m. After Labor Day, the Museum resumes its 7-day schedule and is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; and Sundays, 1 – 4:30 p.m.
For more information, call (772) 231-0707 or visit www.verobeachmuseum.org.